


Altered Reality

by roeskva



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Stargate: Continuum, Tok'ra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 16:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3453563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roeskva/pseuds/roeskva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the timeline remained altered in a different way after Continuum?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Confusion

**Author's Note:**

> Various pairings, past and present, alluded to and mentioned here and there, but none seen. (Sam/Martouf/Lantash, Sam/Jack, Jack/Laira, Daniel/Freya/Anise, Teal’c/Shau’nac, Malek/Janet) 
> 
> Answer to Tok’ra Kree! Round 6, with this prompt: 099. SG-1, SG-1 and any Tok'ra, after Continuum, the timeline is changed. You chose what is different, but there need to be some Tok'ra alive that were dead before, and the Tok'ra must be better friends with Earth.
> 
> NOTES ABOUT TIMELINES:   
> Timeline 1: as it is when Continuum ended. Presumably things would have been mostly back to how it was before Ba'al made the changes. This is how it was on the show/in the movie. 
> 
> Timeline 2: the temporarily altered timeline that Daniel, Sam, and Mitchell end up in after Ba'al changes the timeline. Mitchell goes back in time when the others are killed, with the help of Ba'al's time travel device. He then alters the timeline again, to make it as timeline 1. Also as on the show/in the movie. 
> 
> Timeline 3: permanently altered timeline. A result of the interaction between two of the time 'flickers' perhaps. When Mitchell changed the past back to the original, by stopping Ba'al from stealing Earth's stargate, there was already another change underway caused by someone entering the time machine and being sent back to shortly after Mitchell stops Ba'al, but before the time machine is turned off. This change causes a flicker that merges with the otherwise 'normal' timeline, creating a new, (permanently) altered timeline - and giving Mitchell the knowledge of what has happened in timeline 2 aside from timeline 1.
> 
> Contains dialogue from "Stargate: Continuum".

Sam stretched and gazed idly at the people standing nearby. Daniel, Teal'c, Cam... she turned around... Vala, and O'Neill. They looked bored, especially O'Neill. She could not really blame them. They had been standing here for quite some time.

She wondered when the Tok'ra elder - no that was not the right term, the symbiote was probably quite young, for a symbiote, as all the Tok'ra really were... master of ceremonies was perhaps a better term - would finish his chant of Ba'al's sins and crimes.

The former System Lord really had done a lot of bad things. Sam tried to catch a few words here and there. She remembered some Goa'uld from Jolinar, and had picked up a little more over time, but she was not exactly fluent. It sounded as if they were getting close to the present time in their listing of crimes, so maybe this would soon be over.

She looked over at O'Neill again, just as he yawned mightily.

"Never in the history of boredom has anyone been more bored than I am right now," he complained.

"Come on, sir, it's only been…" She looked at her watch. " _Whoa_."

"It's almost over," Daniel noted. "The crimes they're listing are starting to sound familiar"

"Crimes? That's what they've been crooning about for the last three hours?" O'Neill wondered.

"Quite the ditty, ain't it," Mitchell said.

"It's not at all fair to the host, anyway," Vala commented.

"Vala, you don't really think there's any hope for the… I mean, you were host to Qetesh for a relatively short period of time. Ba'al's been inhabiting this guy for over two thousand years!" Daniel shook his head, disbelieving.

Just then the chanting stopped and the Tok'ra master of ceremonies stepped forward, towards Ba'al.

"Revive the prisoner."

The stasis field around Ba'al faded away, and he woke up. Taking a deep breath he looked around the room.

Vala leaned towards Daniel and whispered, "Watch him try and make a run for it."

He looked around at all the guards. "Well, with all this security, I really don't think he's going to get very far."

He looked back at her, then blinked with a confused look. "Vala?"

"Yes?"

Daniel shook his head. "Sorry, for a moment you were not... never mind. I think I'm just tired."

Vala smiled. "Don't worry. Looks like this will soon be over." She pointed to one of the Tok'ra who was approaching Ba'al, carrying the new symbiote extraction device the Tok'ra had devised, using some of the Asgard technology the Tau'ri had finally agreed to share.

Sam had been following their discussion with only faint interest. She looked back to the Tok'ra and Ba'al, just as there was some sort of flickering. Then, in front of her eyes it was as if everything _shifted_ , and she blinked one more time.

They were gone! Ba'al and the Tok'ra... Disbelieving, she looked around for her friends... Teal'c, O'Neill, Daniel, Vala... all were present, though they were looking a bit confused. Now, where was Mitchell? Ah, there! He looked... bewildered, or unfocused Sam noted, just as he suddenly passed out and fell to the ground.

" _Cam_!" She ran to him.

The others shook themselves out of the almost-trance they had been in, and looked around as well. Sam heard their shocked gasps as they noticed the changes.

"What the _Hell_!?" O'Neill stared with disbelief at the spot where Ba'al had been a moment ago. "Didn't they just... _Mitchell_!" He realised the man had just collapsed, and hurried to him, as did the others.

"He's alive - but unresponsive," Sam said, having examined him briefly. "I can't see anything physically wrong, but I'm not a doctor. Anyway, I think it's a fair guess that it has something to do with everyone else being _gone_ \- and that strange _flickering_ a moment ago."

Daniel was gaping at it all. "You saw that as well? I thought I was seeing things! For a moment it was as if... as if Vala disappeared before my eyes - and then she came back!"

"I've been here the whole time," Vala said, a bit contrite.

O'Neill sighed deeply. This was just _typical_ \- and here he had hoped for a peaceful trip. He should just have said he would not go, when the Tok'ra invited him, but in the end he could not say no to the chance of seeing the last Ba'al die.

"Everyone else OK?"

"I am fine," Teal'c said.

"Yes, I think so - it's just Cam here that've fainted." Vala sat down beside him and gave him a gentle push. "Still unconscious."

"But where's everyone else? The Tok'ra... Ba'al..." Daniel wondered.

"Not to mention the buildings!" Sam said.

The others looked around, suddenly realising the extent of the changes.

"It's just ruins! _Everywhere_!" Vala sounded shocked. "Could we have travelled in time? I mean, is this the far far future and everyone else is long dead?"

"No, if anything, it's more like the not-so-distant past," Sam said, slowly.

"Or maybe it's another planet? Perhaps we've been beamed away?" Daniel suggested.

"Aaw... for crying out loud! Not _time travel_! Carter? What do you mean... the not-so-distant past?" O'Neill demanded.

"Actually I don't think we've time-travelled, sir. The stars look _exactly_ the same. See?" Sam pointed at a strange looking constellation made up of 8 clear stars. "It looks a bit like a fox's head - at least _I_ think so. I noticed it when we arrived. I also know a couple of the stars in that constellation are actually far apart. If we were in a very different time it would not look the same. Also, if it was only a short trip to the past or future the constellation would probably not sit in the same place in the sky - unless we happened to end up at the _exact_ same time of the year, of course. So I think we can rule out time-travel."

"OK, swell. What's the explanation then? Because I seem to remember a _lot_ of those crystal-buildings. The only thing that's still here is a pyramid - and some ruins," O'Neill said.

"Yes, and that pyramid - and the stars - are why we _must_ still be on the same planet," Sam insisted.

"You're right." Daniel nodded to himself. "I remember seeing that pyramid in the images the Tok'ra made of this place before they started building. The pyramid was here before, as were those ruins. They looked _exactly_ like this."

"Great - so no time travel." O'Neill looked a little happier, but then gave the archaeologist a closer look. " _Daniel_ \- you didn't touch anything, did you? Like a strange artifact sitting in a corner somewhere, perhaps?"

"No! Of _course_ not!" Daniel sounded indignant.

"If we're indeed in the same time and space - and everything indicates we are - then this could be very bad," Sam said, a worried look on her face.

"Don't make me wait! What do you think happened?" O'Neill demanded.

"I can't be certain, but... it's obvious _something_ has changed... _history_ has changed. I am guessing the timeline _could_ have been altered..."

" _What_! How? _Who_? Not Ba'al?" O'Neill asked, an unhappy look on her face. "You think it was Ba'al?"

"I've got no way of knowing that, sir. However..."

They were interrupted when Mitchell moved and a low moan escaped from him.

"Cam?" Sam asked, immediately crouching down beside him.

Mitchell slowly sat up and opened his eyes. For a moment he stared into nothingness, then he closed his eyes again and shook his head. When he opened his eyes this time he seemed to have just returned from very far away. "Yes..."

"Are you OK?" Vala asked.

"Yeah... yeah I think so." He looked disbelieving at the others and at the planet. "This is strange..."

"Oh, yeah! _Strange_ would be one way of putting it," O'Neill said.

"Weren't you wearing a uniform as well?" Vala asked, looking closely at O'Neill. "For that matter, we were _all_ wearing desert camos, weren't we? We're wearing green BDUs now."

They all looked at their clothing.

"Oh..." O'Neill stared in disbelief at his clothes.

"She's right. Odd... well maybe Sam's correct, and the timeline _has_ changed. You could be a civilian here for all we know," Daniel said.

"Then why am I here - on an _alien planet_ \- with the rest of you?" O'Neill asked, clearly not accepting Daniel's suggestion.

"Good point," Daniel admitted.

"Listen..." Mitchell interrupted them. "I think that thing about the time line having changed might be correct. Because I seem to remember not only one, but _two_ different versions. At least for some part of my life..." He shook his head. "I'm not making much sense, am I?"

"No, you're not. But none of this is, so if you think you've got an explanation then I'm willing to listen," O'Neill said.

"Well, it's not so much an explanation as it is maybe a validation of the altered time line theory - or maybe proof I've gone insane." Mitchell had by now recovered completely and got up.

O'Neill grinned wryly. "Try us!"

"Okay, see if you can follow this. We were all standing there, listening to the Tok'ra yammering away about the multitude of sins Ba'al have committed. Then, when they'd finished, and had taken Ba'al out of stasis, everything sort-of... well, I don't know... winked out?"

The others nodded.

"That's as good a description as any," Sam said, shrugging.

Mitchell continued, "Then, I was on a ship and after what I think was a very long time I was again on the same ship. I mean a _real_ ship, not a spaceship. Anyway, everything's a bit foggy, but I _think_ I lived for many years... in the _past_. I have some really funny memories about killing Ba'al as well. Then, all of a sudden, I find myself back _here_ , but things doesn't _look_ right. At _all_. I mean, _you_ guys are here, but no one or nothing else is..."

"Sure you weren't just dreaming that part while you were unconscious? I mean, I'd like to kill Ba'al too, and we _were_ going to watch his execution... _extraction_. Whatever." O'Neill took another look at his own clothes, studying his sleeves with an offended expression, as if it was his civilian clothing that had caused all this.

"I'm pretty sure it actually happened just as I remember it. Ba'al had changed the timeline, and we had to fix it," Mitchell said.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but... why don't any of the rest of us remember it?" Daniel wondered.

Mitchell shrugged. " _That_ I don't know..."

Sam looked thoughtful. "What if there was _another_ change in the timeline while he - and probably us as well - had only partly returned to our own timeline. What _if_ there was a slight delay between Cam's return and ours? It might... _somehow_ have protected your memories of both the universes from being eradicated - and replaced with whatever has happened in this timeline, Cam. After all, _all_ of us seem to remember a different version than the one we're currently in, so that indicates this could be what happened."

Mitchell nodded. "That makes some kind of weird sense, because I don't remember any of you being there when I killed Ba'al. In fact, I seem to remember some sort of attack near a big device - and witnessing some of you dying there."

"OK, I'm glad you think it makes sense, because _I_ don't! However, let's just _assume_ , for argument's sake, that you haven't gone completely mad and this is _actually_ what happened. How does this help us?" O'Neill said, exasperated.

"Actually... we could _all_ have gone crazy and none of this is real..."

" _Daniel_...!" O'Neill warned.

"I think we can discount that theory." Sam smiled at Daniel. "Cam, what else do you remember?"

Mitchell briefly gave them an account of what else he could think of, about Ba'al and the shifted timelines.


	2. A New Reality

"Could this be the result of _another_ change Ba'al had planned?" Teal'c asked.

"No, I don't think he would have had the opportunity, if Cam killed the version of him that went back in time. More likely it's the result of some strange kind of interference between the original change Ba'al made, and another time fluctuation," Sam said.

"Such as?" O'Neill asked.

"Obviously I can't know that, but maybe it was someone Qetesh brought with her to the planet with the device, or someone who arriving shortly after, who did it before the effects of Cam killing Ba'al manifested itself. That would have caused some kind of paradox. This could also be why we remember a different timeline. Normally we shouldn't, but the fluctuation may have protected us, or maybe it was just because the changes happened while we were in temporal flux," Sam guessed. "The paradox is probably also why we're here on this planet in this timeline as well, instead of where we should have been, had there been no change. It's likely also why we're wearing different clothing. The differences couldn't be fully reconciled since some parts of the paradox remained."

"So we're physically the people we're supposed to be in this universe, just located where we were in the original time line - and with the original memories?" O'Neill looked like his head hurt.

"Yes, I believe that's the most likely explanation."

"You're saying the timelines have been mixed?" Vala wondered.

"More or less," Sam agreed.

"Isn't that dangerous? I mean, wouldn't there be side effects?" Daniel asked.

"Not aside from us having some memories we shouldn't have - and so not having a clue who we are or what has happened in this timeline," Sam said.

O'Neill groaned. "Swell. That's just great! So how do we fix this?"

"Sir, I don't know that it _can_ be fixed. Even if we could somehow find the machine Ba'al used, and travel back in time, it's unlikely we'd both be able to stop Ba'al _and_ avoid this paradox. It's also very dangerous to tamper with time and we should only attempt it as a last resort. We could easily make it worse," Sam insisted.

"Well, we can figure it all out when we get back to the SGC." O'Neill turned to Daniel. "Dial it up. We're going home... do any of you have a GDO?"

"Yeah, I do." Mitchell pulled one out of his pocket.

"Good. We're going home, then." O'Neill looked happier already.

"Sir, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we can't be sure our codes even work here," Sam said.

"Let's wait and see if they do before worrying, okay?" O'Neill said, annoyed.

Daniel went to the DHD and began dialing. The glyphs lit up normally, but when he hit the red central button nothing happened. He tried again. "Uh, small problem here..."

Sam slapped her forehead. "That's right. I remember... the Tok'ra picked this planet because it was uninhabited and not likely to be visited. The _reason_ it was uninhabited was that the DHD was broken. They fixed it, of course, but in this timeline that clearly hasn't been done..."

"So we're stranded? I don't accept that. You can fix it, can't you Carter?" O'Neill looked at her, expectantly.

"I'm afraid I don't have the spare parts needed. If I remember correctly one of the control crystals is broken, and the only way to fix _that_ is to put in a replacement."

"Then we'll just have to find one. Let's search through those ruins over there - the pyramid looks pretty whole."

* * *

They searched the area methodically. There was not much left outside the pyramid. Inside, there was less damage, but very little technology was left. After searching for a long time, going through every part of the place, they found a broken Goa'uld communication device, parts of a control unit for a force field, and something Sam believed might once have been used for heating.

Sam looked at the parts in despair.

"None of these can be used to repair the DHD..." She hesitated. "Hmmm... wait... I _may_ be able to jury-rig something else..."

"Can't you just repair that Goa'uld communication thingie?" O'Neill suggested.

"No, I don't think so." She pondered it. "Well, there's no power source, but I may be able to use the one from the heater, so that is not the worst problem. However, some of the basic components, which modulates the signal, are missing. Using parts from the control unit I _may_ be able to get it to transmit _something_ , but we'll be lucky if we can get morse code."

"Morse code is good. Get to it!" O'Neill ordered.

Sam smiled. Suddenly everything felt like old times. "Yes, sir!" She was soon deeply immersed in her work.

In order not to disturb Sam, most of the others went to sit along the nearest wall. Daniel joined them a little later, having found some inscriptions on a wall which he had looked at for a time. It was nothing of great interest, though.

Sighing, he sat down beside the others, leaning back against the wall. He sat there for some time, observing Sam as she tried to put something useful together, before he turned to O'Neill.

"So, Jack... why do you think you're in civilian clothing? Do you think you've retired?"

" _Retired_! No, I'm sure I didn't - I'm probably just taking some time off. You know... fishing, Simpsons..."

"There are other differences. Muscles doesn't have any grey hair," Vala observed. "And Sam's hair is a bit longer - though it's still tied up in a... _ponytail_."

"Jack! You're married here!" Daniel smiled, suddenly noticing his friend was wearing a ring.

"What!" O'Neill looked at his hand. "You're right!"

He glanced quickly over at Sam, who was still trying to build some sort of communication device. About a year ago they had finally decided to find out if what they felt for each other was more than physical attraction. They had spent three nights together. Not a long time, but it had been enough for both of them to realise it would never work out. They were friends, and they found each other attractive, but there was nothing romantic there.

They did not regret it - it had helped them get it out of their systems and they were now able to be friends without anything unresolved coming between them. It was actually a great relief to both of them.

He very much hoped she was not the one he was married to in this timeline. It would be... _awkward_. With a sigh he took off the ring and looked inside for an inscription. He needed to know.

"So - who's the lucky woman?" Mitchell leaned closer, grinning.

"Laira." O'Neill let out a breath of relief. "We've been married for 8 years or so - assuming the year is still the same, of course."

"It probably is - from what Sam said before, about the stars and constellations. Laira... wasn't she the woman from that planet where you were stranded for... uuh... 3 months or so? You know, because of some meteor storm?" Daniel wondered.

"Yes... yes, she is..." O'Neill had gotten a far-away look. "I promised her I would come back... I always regretted not doing so."

"Well, in this timeline you clearly did!" Daniel smiled at his friend.

O'Neill shook himself from the thoughts, also smiling a little. "Okay, everyone! Check if you're wearing anything - or have got anything in your pockets - which could give us a hint about this universe and how it's different."

"We don't even know you're our superior," Mitchell pointed out, smiling. He still went through his pockets, though.

"Well, until we learn otherwise, I am. _OK_?"

"Of course, sir!" Mitchell's smile grew wider.

They quickly searched through their clothes. Not surprisingly, O'Neill was the only one to have a wallet in his pocket, since the others had likely all been offworld when they had been transported there.

"Hah! According to my ID I'm still a general!" O'Neill looked triumphantly at Mitchell, holding the document out so he could see it.

"Understood, sir!" Mitchell saluted with a grin.

"What is it, sir?" Sam wondered. She had just come over to them, and noticed O'Neill staring at a photo he had found in his wallet, a stunned expression on his face. "Who's on that picture?"

"Laira... and... and my _son_ , I guess..."

The others looked with interest at the photo. The child seemed to be around 7 or 8 years old. Sam and the others congratulated O'Neill, knowing what it meant to him.

"I'm wearing a necklace of some sort..." Daniel said, pulling at it a little for the others to see.

Sam looked closely at it. First she got a look of surprise, then she smiled widely.

"Okay, what is it?" Daniel demanded.

"I just recognized the style - it's a Tok'ra joining necklace. It means you're married. To a _Tok'ra_."

" _What_?!" Daniel exclaimed.

" _Nice_ , Danny-boy. Do you think it's Anise?" O'Neill grinned.

Daniel blushed. "You know very well that we've got _no_ idea who it is!"

"Besides, Sam's wearing one too!" Vala pointed out, having caught a glimpse of a similar necklace.

The others looked at Sam, who quickly felt for the necklace. It was relatively short, so as not to be in the way when one went about their daily work. Watching the others grin, she fiddled with the lock and got it open. Taking it off, she looked at it closely.

"You're right. I hadn't noticed it before." She flushed pink.

"Perhaps you're married to each other, then?" Vala suggested, smiling mischievously.

" _Oh_! No. As far as I know, they're only used when at least one of the partners are Tok'ra. Besides, the designs are different. Mates _always_ have identical necklaces," Sam said.

"Either of you have any idea who it might be, then?" Vala wondered, clearly very curious. "I mean, _both_ of you - married to Tok'ra! Something must have gone _quite_ different here!"

"We already knew it did," Sam observed, not interested in speculating.

"As I said before - I'm betting Daniel's with Anise..." O'Neill grinned again.

Daniel sighed. "Why don't we just wait and see?"

He went over the thought in his mind, considering whether or not he really could have married Anise. He liked her, sure, and she him, obviously... but what about Freya? While he _did_ like her - and he certainly found her attractive - she had never shown any interest in him. He could not imagine marrying them unless _both_ were interested.

Of course, he remembered Sam telling him something about host and symbiote eventually feeling the same - perhaps Anise's feelings had been the stronger? He smiled and suddenly felt himself hoping it was indeed the case. They had many common interests and he really liked Anise - and Freya could be very sweet too!

"So - what about you, Sam? Any obvious candidates?" Vala asked, very interested.

Sam blushed again, annoyed with her own reaction. "No, none that I can think of." At least none that are _alive_ , Sam added silently to herself, feeling a stab of pain, even now this many years later, when she thought of Martouf and Lantash.

"Oh, I don't know about _that_ , Carter. What about Marty? He certainly wanted you - or what was left of Jolinar at any rate. Wasn't very good at hiding his feelings either..." O'Neill rolled his eyes.

"That's not fair. They knew very well that I wasn't Jolinar! Besides, they're both dead."

"You sure? With all the other changes, who's to say Marty's not alive too?" O'Neill said.

"Well, we'll know soon enough." Sam did not want to discuss this - she did not want to even think about it. Did not want to allow herself to hope, just to learn they were as dead now as they had been before. "I came over here to tell you I have managed to make a primitive communications device. It won't do much more than morse code, and it won't be able to send for more than a few minutes - or receive at all, but it _will_ be able to transmit a signal faster than light - one that _should_ be able to reach Earth."

"Well done, Carter! Tell them to come get us!" O'Neill said, enthusiastically.

"Wait a minute..." Daniel looked suddenly worried. "We don't know _anything_ about this universe. What if someone _unfriendly_ picked up the signal? They could, couldn't they?"

"That is a valid concern," Teal'c agreed. "For instance, we do not know if the Goa'uld have even been conquered in this timeline."

"Of course. Anyone could pick it up. I have no way of encrypting it," Sam said.

"I think we'll take the chance that a snakehead - or worse - shows up. I'd much rather be in a Goa'uld holding cell than starving to death in a desert," O'Neill noted.

"Actually, sir - in this desert it's far more likely that we'd die of dehydration long before we starve. We don't have the technology the Tok'ra used to get to the - quite abundant - underground water supply," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, well, _whatever_! Just send the damn message!"

"Will do, sir." Sam went back to the contraption she had put together and bent down over it. Moments later they heard a crackling sound, followed by various beeping noises, as she quickly coded the simple emergency signal. It contained very little except their location.

Now all they could do was wait.


	3. Surprises

They did not have to wait for long. A surprisingly short amount of time later, they were all suddenly caught in an Asgard transportation beam.

Having materialized, they looked around, seeing the familiar surroundings of an X-304.

"Yes! _Saved_!" O'Neill exclaimed, smiling.

"You are indeed safe," a familiar voice said from behind them, in the flanged tones of a symbiote. They quickly turned around.

O'Neill stared at him. " _What_?"

"Welcome aboard the _Egeria_ \- or welcome back I should perhaps say, well, at least to _some_ of you, since you were not all here before," Malek said, smiling a little. "It was indeed fortunate we were close by when we intercepted your signal. You would not have lasted long down there."

"Malek!" Sam gaped at him.

"Eh... what are _you_ doing here?" O'Neill still looked shocked.

"I could ask you the same - Samantha and Daniel disappeared from the ship this morning, and I had only just gotten the report that you, Teal'c, and Vala were missing, when I received your signal. How did all of you end up out here?"

" _That_ is a long story - one which we don't have all the answers to... uh, _Commander_ Malek?" Sam said.

" _You're_ in command of this vessel?" Daniel wondered.

"Yes. It has been my ship for almost a year. Do you not remember?" Malek looked curiously at him. "You were all present on its first voyage - and, as I just mentioned, you and Samantha were assigned to my ship for this mission."

"The _Egeria_... wait... um... of _course_ , this is part of what has changed!" Sam said.

"That would seem reasonable," Teal'c agreed with her.

"Someone care to explain what's going on?" Vala complained.

Malek nodded slowly. "I would like that as well. We will have a debriefing - however, I believe it may be advisable for the doctors to have a look at you first. This is both for your safety, as you are obviously not well, and to ensure that you... are who you appear to be. I shall go and inform Stargate Command and the Tok'ra Council that you have been found." He turned to some guards standing nearby. "Escort them to sickbay."

"Hey! We're not crazy - or sick - _or_ possessed! It's just that everything went _wacko_!" O'Neill yelled after Malek.

The guards gently - but firmly - escorted them to sickbay. It was obvious everyone thought they were either crazy or possessed - or perhaps some kind of impersonators. The doctor examined them very thoroughly, obviously suspecting foul play.

After what seemed an inordinate amount of tests and examinations, the doctor was finally convinced they were indeed who they appeared to be. They were taken to a briefing room where they were told to wait.

* * *

"So, what do you guys think?" Daniel said.

"We've crossed over into the _Twilight Zone_?" O'Neill suggested.

"We already knew there were a number of minor changes caused by the 'time fluctuation'. This is clearly another one of those," Sam explained, ignoring O'Neill's comment.

"'Minor changes'?" O'Neill repeated, sarcastically.

"The original change may well have been very small, leading to further - and larger - differences, the further into the future we go... it's possible."

"Jack returning to marry Laira, for instance!" Daniel suggested.

"Yes..." Sam thought for a little while. "Something like that could well have been the original change."

"That's supposed to have caused all of _this_? Just because he _married_ someone?" Vala rolled her eyes.

"I agree. That's a bit extreme. Don't ya think?" O'Neill said.

"Why?" Daniel touched his necklace. "That could also have lead to Anise and Freya pursuing _me_ directly, instead of Jack first. If, as you think, they're the ones I'm married to."

"And Daniel and me both being married to Tok'ra could well have caused our two peoples to become closer allied..." Sam added. "I think you may be on to something."

" _Maybe_..." O'Neill looked very sceptical. "I mean, I suppose Freya might've decided to let Anise pick, with me not being _available_. I might buy _that_... and I guess that might've made the snakes trust us more... or something, but it still doesn't explain why Carter's married to a Tok'ra too!"

"Um..." Daniel gave first O'Neill, then Sam a quick look, "Perhaps...uh..."

Sam still regretted the confusion she had felt back then, and did not want to discuss the subject any further. "It could just be a coincidence - or caused by some other change," she quickly suggested, feeling her cheeks blush a little bit. "Besides, with the Tok'ra and the Tau'ri being closer..."

Fortunately, Malek entered just then, saving her.

"Doctor Ohlson has convinced me that you indeed are who you appear to be, and that you do not seem to have been brainwashed, nor possessed by anyone or anything. If that is so, why do you not remember anything about... _this_!" He held out his hands, indicating the ship, himself, _all_ of it.

"It's because we're from another dimension, right?" Vala looked to Daniel for confirmation.

"Reality," Daniel corrected.

"You are saying _our_ version of 'you' are somewhere else? They _did_ disappear..." Malek looked confused.

"No. Not quite." Sam thought for a while how best to explain it. "This _is_ their bodies. _Our_ bodies. We _are_ them... us... so to speak. We believe... what happened is that the timeline was changed while we were _already_ being affected by temporal distortions. Because of this, we now exist in a changed timeline, but still possess the memories we had in the unaltered version. Apparently another quirk resulted in the physical dislocation of our bodies - explaining why we showed up in the place we were in, in the old timeline... I'm not making a lot of sense, am I?" She looked at Malek, who gave all the appearances of a man in pain.

"No. You are just making my and Johan's heads hurt." He sighed deeply.

"Mine too..." O'Neill rolled his eyes.

"Johan?" Vala wondered.

"Malek's host." Sam sighed. She thought for a while longer, then started over, this time from the beginning, carefully explaining everything as they believed it had happened.

* * *

When Sam and the others had finished their explanation, Malek nodded.

"I understand now. The end result of all this is that you are the same people, but have had the last several years worth of memories exchanged for the memories of experiences which happened in a timeline which now no longer exists." He sighed. "This is going to be very problematic, but right now we do not have the time to deal with this. The preferred action would be to return you to Stargate Command and let you come to terms with how your life is here, but this mission is too important to be postponed. Worse, Samantha and Daniel have knowledge which is needed, and I am going to have to hope you still retain this."

"What's your mission?" O'Neill wanted to know.

"I believe we first need to ascertain how different this timeline is from the one you remember - if you will indeed be _able_ to assist," Malek began to explain, in as much detail as was necessary.

Apparently much of what had happened on a larger scale was the same, though the details varied. The System Lords - including Anubis - were gone. The last of them, Ba'al, had been killed about a year ago. The replicators and the Ori were history as well. The current threat came from a subgroup of the former 'Free Jaffa'.

Except for Teal'c, Bra'tac, and a few of their friends, as well as the Hak'tyl, the majority of the Jaffa had united under Arkad - a Jaffa who had long held animosity towards Teal'c and who had later joined with the Ori.

After the fall of the Ori, Arkad had managed to convince the Jaffa that he should lead them, by playing into their feelings of superiority. They now maintained that they owed _nothing_ to either the Tau'ri or the Tok'ra for their freedom, and that they were the only true successors to the Goa'uld. They considered the Galaxy to be theirs. The Jaffa were a formidably opponent, and their forces were growing in strength every day.

There was only one thing that stopped them from gathering all the Jaffa under Arkad. Most of those loyal to him did not wish to use tretonin and even wanted those who had begun using it to go back to carrying a symbiote, feeling tretonin 'weakened' them. As a result they were dependent on a supply of prim'tas and needed to either find a queen or ally themselves with one of the multitude of minor Goa'uld who showed up as fast as the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra could remove them. Not just any of those Goa'uld, of course, but one who had a _queen_. Though as things looked, it might well be that there were no more queens left.

For now, the appearance of these minor Goa'uld were due to mainly two things. The first and largest group came from maturing larvae who usually took over their Jaffa when he or she had not been able to procure another symbiote, and so carried the one they had for too long. The second source were the many insignificant Goa'uld who previously had had no opportunity to rise to power. They had eked out a meager existence mainly as underlings to the minor System Lords, but now they saw their chance and they took it immediately.

If Arkad's Jaffa could procure enough symbiotes, it could well lure the remaining Jaffa to his ranks.

Now rumours had it that the Jaffa had been contacted by one of these Goa'uld - a man called Tikna, who was once a minor underling of Apophis. He had a proposition for them - they needed a queen and he knew where to get one, as unlikely as that sounded.

In return they would be loyal to him and fight for him. They would not _serve_ him, per se, though. It was a mutually beneficial agreement. Tikna did not have the forces to acquire this queen on his own, and the Jaffa did not know _where_ she was. If the information was correct, she could be found in a stasis jar on a planet that was currently one of the most heavily guarded strongholds of the Lucian alliance.

The Jaffa had the manpower for an attack such as that. However, since the planet's Stargate was heavily guarded, they would have to arrive by ship. Unfortunately, the Jaffa under Arkad did not at the moment have access to a fleet that was as large as what the Lucien Alliance had, and they would probably incur heavy losses taking the planet by force. Of course, if the queen was there, it would be worth it to them.

When the planet had been secured, Tikna would arrive with some of his loyal men and get the stasis jar with the queen.

The Tau'ri and the Tok'ra _could not_ let the Jaffa - or a Goa'uld - get their hands on a queen. It could tip the balance of power in the Galaxy and they would again have a large, coordinated army of Jaffa, led by a Goa'uld, on their hands. This _must_ not be allowed to happen.

"One other thing - why does this Goa'uld... Tikna... _trust_ the Jaffa to bring him the queen? Wouldn't the Jaffa just take her for themselves?" Daniel wondered.

"They would... if they knew where to find her. Presumably Tikna knows this, but whether or not he does, our source has not been able to acquire this information. The Jaffa most likely does not know either, and it is probably not in any easily accessible place. They would have to search for a very long time or rely on Tikna. We know that many of the Jaffa will soon need a new prim'ta, so time is of the essence for Arkad," Malek said.

"I understand. OK. I can see why we need to stop these guys from getting their hands on a queen... what do you need _our_ help for?" O'Neill asked.

"I do not need _your_ help. Only that of Samantha and Daniel." Malek gave him a wry smile.

"It's all of us or none!" O'Neill said, angrily.

"Why do you need our help, then?" Daniel said, quickly. "What are we going to do?"

"Yes, I'm interested as well," Sam added.

"Well... Daniel I need to translate. He - and his wives - are our foremost experts in this area. We know there are ruins down there, from the Ancients. However, the ones that lived there spoke a rare dialect. While the ruins would also long have been that way when this queen was hidden - since it is likely less than two millennia ago - there may be clues down there to secret hiding places that could have been used when the queen was hidden. Besides, Daniel has always been very good at figuring out where something is hidden." Malek smiled warmly at the other man.

"Why do you keep calling him 'Daniel'?" O'Neill wondered.

"That is his name - even in the other timeline - is it not?" Malek looked bewildered.

"Yeah, but when did you get all buddy-buddy with him and use his first name?"

"Oh, I see. We have been friends for several years - since shortly after he married Freya and Anise. They live part time in the tunnels, part time on the Tau'ri... _Earth_."

O'Neill grinned at Daniel and raised an eyebrow. "See? Just like I said! You're married to Anise!"

Daniel gave him a sheepish half-smile. It was obvious he did not really mind.

"Okay, why do you need _me_ , then?" Sam wondered.

"The planet we are going to is _Malkshur_. We hope you will be able to remember something about it, from Jolinar," Malek said.

"Oh." Sam nodded. "I see... I can't guarantee you I can help you. I remember - or perhaps 'have access to' is a better word - very little of that period of her life. Though going there will perhaps trigger some memories."

"That is our hope as well." Malek turned to O'Neill. "If you really wish to accompany Samantha and Daniel, then I will happily accept your offer. You should, however, know that it will be dangerous, and I will fully understand if you wish to withdraw your offer."

"Of _course_ I'm going with them!"

"As am I," Teal'c said.

Mitchell and Vala volunteered as well. They were all prepared to go.


	4. Getting Some Information

Afterwards, they left the briefing room to go to their assigned quarters to relax a little before the mission. Sam walked slowly behind the others, thinking. How much _did_ she remember from Jolinar's life on Malkshur?

"Sam?" Vala had noticed she was falling behind, and waited for her. "What's up?"

"I'm just concerned I won't be able to access Jolinar's memories of this place. That - and it brings out... _other_ memories as well."

"Of Jolinar? I do understand. I try to avoid thinking about the time when I was a host."

"No... not _that_. I've long since forgiven Jolinar. It's just... thinking of her, trying to remember... it makes me think of when we went to Netu. When I _had_ to remember in order to save my Dad. Not just that - I think of him... and of other people who are no longer with us. It's..." She waved her hands, unsure what to say. "It's just, bringing forth her memories... seeing her life... it... doesn't exactly help..."

Vala was not sure she understood completely, but she knew her friend was feeling uncomfortable, and that was enough. She wanted to help, and decided to do so by trying to steer the conversation to lighter subjects.

"So... what Daniel was hinting at before Malek came in..." Vala smiled. "I do like him... don't you?"

Sam looked confused. "Daniel? Yeah, he's a good friend."

"Oh, yeah, certainly - and _hot_ , but I meant _Malek_."

Sam laughed. " _Malek_! You're serious?"

"Of course. He's really cute - if you like Tok'ra, at least. Maybe a bit too serious... but don't you think his ass just _begs_ to be grabbed?"

"Vala!" Sam giggled. "Yes, I can see he's kinda hot, but I really have difficulty thinking of him that way - he was Jolinar's friend. A very good and close friend, but more like a brother to her. That's colouring my view, I guess."

"Well, aren't most of the Tok'ra siblings anyway? That doesn't seem to stop them!"

"Yes... they are. Though Jolinar and Malek are actually not. Were not. Never mind. They just didn't feel that way about each other and I find myself unable to overlook that."

"OK. Fine with me." Vala shrugged, then smiled mysteriously. "That means I have one less rival!" She grinned when Sam rolled her eyes. Then she wrinkled her brow. "Ah, yes - Daniel's comment... so, how do you feel about Jack the General being married to someone else?"

"What do you mean? I'm _happy_ for him!"

"It's just that I've seen you two look at each other as if you wanna make babies." Vala grinned. "Which, of course, is totally fine with me," she added, seeing Sam's expression.

" _Whatever_ gave you that idea!" Sam said, looking dismayed.

"Well, I may have been mistaken, of course..." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Completely. We're just friends," Sam said, with feeling.

"OK. _Whatever_." Vala shrugged.

"Listen, Vala. Yes, I _do_ find him attractive, but that's all. We... ah, _talked_ about it. And we're friends. Nothing more," Sam said, meaning it.

Vala could see she was telling the truth and relented. "OK. Sorry. I just hoped for a nice story... and you never truly seem interested in anyone we meet. You always stay in your lab and work, instead of going out... instead of having _fun_."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, well, it's just that I love my work. I don't feel I have the time for anyone in my life right now. Besides, I'm happy being single."

" _Really_..." Vala looked unconvinced, then grinned. "So, Colonel Carter... all work and no play... isn't that what they say on your planet?"

"Well, apparently I'm a little different here in this timeline." Sam gave her necklace a small tug.

"Yes..." Vala looked interested. "About that... do you have any guesses? Any cute, sexy Tok'ra you've ever been interested in?"

"No. Well, at least none that are still alive." Sam looked down, briefly thinking about Martouf again.

"Oh, yeah. Jack mentioned someone named Marty... so, why don't you just ask Malek about it? Don't you wanna know who you're married to? A bit _afraid_ , perhaps?"

"Maybe. I'll ask him later."

They had by now reached their quarters and each entered theirs. After all the heat and dust down on the planet, they all looked forward to showering and changing to clean clothes.

* * *

Refreshed, they all met up in the mess hall, where Malek found them a little later.

"I forgot to say... I have contacted your families, and told them you are well. Do you wish to talk to them also? There is time before we arrive on Malkshur," Malek said.

"Eh..." O'Neill said.

They all looked at each other.

"Um... since none of us even remembered that we're married, maybe this is not the right time..." Sam said, an uncomfortable expression on her face.

Malek nodded. "I can understand that. Very well." He turned to Daniel, a twinkle in his eyes. "I talked with Anise and Freya and reassured them that you are well. They were very relieved. Also, I was to tell you that you have lost your bet. Your daughter has said her first word and it was in Goa'uld." He smiled. "It _was_ a foolish bet to make - her genetic memory ensured that would be the case, but since you would not hear..."

Daniel just looked at him. "My _daughter_?" He did not know if he wanted to laugh or cry. He had a child - that he knew absolutely nothing about. He looked to O'Neill who just grinned at him.

Malek turned to Teal'c. "When I learned you were here as well, I asked Stargate Command to contact Shau'nac with information that you had been found safely." He looked to O'Neill. "Laira will be contacted as well, General O'Neill."

"Thanks," O'Neill told him.

"Shau'nac is alive?" Teal'c asked, hopeful.

"She is." Malek shook his head, still having a hard time believing all the things that were different. "It is strange that so much has changed, but I hope it is at least agreeable changes." He turned to Sam. "I also talked to Martouf and Lantash. They were very relieved to hear you have been found, unharmed. As you... probably does not remember, they - like Anise and Freya - are currently at Stargate Command, helping to catalogue the many Goa'uld tablets found on Shivalla - or P3X-835, as your people designate it. Martouf will inform Jacob that you have been found safely."

Sam just nodded. She, like the others, had been staring dumbfounded at Malek during most of what he said. "Wait... Martouf, Lantash - and _Dad_ \- they are _alive_? All of them?"

"Yes, as is Selmak, if you wonder." Malek looked surprised. "Why would they not be?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you all about it later. I'm very happy to hear they're all well." Sam bit her lip. "Um... so I suppose that means I'm married to Martouf and Lantash?"

"Yes, do you not remember?" Malek shook his head. "I should learn not to ask this. You have been married for nearly 6 years. You have 3 children... but you probably do not remember them either," he realized.

"No, I _don't_!" Sam exclaimed. "This is going to be even _more_ difficult than I'd expected!"

"And very confusing!" Daniel added.

"Well, I'm glad _I'm_ not the _only_ one in this situation!" O'Neill said, with feeling.

"What about me?" Vala asked. "No one waiting for me back there? Or am I perhaps with you, Malek?"

Malek raised an eyebrow. "No, you are not."

"Pity." She winked at him. "You're attractive, you know."

"Thank you. Though I suspect Janet would not like to share me." He smiled.

" _Janet_? Janet Fraiser?" Sam asked.

"She's alive _too_?" Daniel asked, a shocked, but happy expression on his face.

"She is," Malek confirmed. He looked to Vala and Mitchell. "In this universe the two of _you_ are together. I take it that is not the case in the other timeline?"

"No! It is not!" Mitchell said, with finality.

"Cameron, baby!" Vala winked at him. "I _always_ suspected you wanted me!"

"Can we focus on the mission?" Mitchell asked, hurriedly.

Malek smiled. "Get something to eat, then spend the rest of the day relaxing. You will need it, and you also have a lot to think about. We arrive at Malkshur tomorrow morning."


	5. A Mission

It was early next day when they neared the planet of Malkshur. It had originally belonged to Jolinar's family, and she had inherited it when her father was assassinated. Back then it had been the center of a small, but growing empire. Jolinar had quickly expanded her territories, and had swallowed up the domains of most of her neighbors, who had all either perished or surrendered, becoming her vassals.

She had once been among the most powerful of all the System Lords, and would probably also have succeeded in her war against Zipacna, were it not for his ally, Apophis, who joined the battle against Jolinar. That defeat had been the beginning of the end. It had taken a very long time, but eventually she had again only owned Malkshur, her original world. She - as well as her ally Egeria, and the first generations of Tok'ra - had been besieged. It had been a very near thing, but they had finally escaped.

Jolinar had not been back since.

This had happened almost 2000 years ago. The question was whether Sam would be able to recognize anything down there, from the memories she carried from her time as Jolinar's host. Even if she did, much would have changed in those 2000 years. The planet had been occupied by first Zipacna, and then Apophis. Later on he had given it to one of his minions, Tikna, who had ruled over it until the fall of the Goa'uld.

Now it had become one of the strongholds of the Lucian alliance - and it was populated by their henchmen and various other mercenaries and criminals they worked with.

Officially, the planet still belonged to the Goa'uld Tikna - or at least he claimed it did. While slowly growing in strength, he still barely had any forces and was completely unable to take it back from the Lucian alliance. He hoped this would soon change, when he got his hands on a queen. That was, unless the Jaffa screwed up and did not manage to secure the planet for him - or he did not find the queen.

* * *

"Our scans have confirmed that the chaapa'ai is well guarded. The Jaffa will not be able to get through it, so they must come by ship, like we do. It looks relatively peaceful down there right now - or as peaceful as a stronghold full of criminals can look. In any case, I feel confident this means the Jaffa have not attempted their attack yet. Though they may well have landed small forces, in order to scout out the area beforehand," Malek informed them.

"Can you transport us down unseen?" O'Neill wanted to know.

"Yes, but you will have to move about carefully. Our survey showed that there are many patrols down there, especially close to the largest city. Of course, we have no way of knowing if _that_ is where the queen is hidden, but it is the location of the palace. We believe there might be some information to find there, so the idea is to put you down close to it."

* * *

They had changed to different clothing - a sort of paramilitary leather uniforms, similar to what many of the mercenaries wore.

Teal'c, Vala, and Mitchell would be the 'official' team. They would be sent down in a Teltac first, and contact the Lucian Alliance directly. Malek handed them all coded Tok'ra communicators, which they hid in their clothes, together with zat'nik'tels.

In this universe neither the Tok'ra, nor the Tau'ri, had had any dealings with the Lucian Alliance, except for Vala who were known to them as a reasonably reliable trader and small-time thief. This might prove to be to their advantage when they approached the leaders and offered their services.

Hopefully this approach would distract the Lucian Alliance, and give Sam, Daniel, and O'Neill a chance to get in through a back door, enabling them to search the palace without being disturbed.

It was doubtful they would be allowed to just walk around and look for something without being questioned, so a distraction was needed. Vala's group could hopefully provide this.

While it was morning on the ship, it was late afternoon down there where the palace was located. A suitable time for Teal'c, Vala, and Mitchell to approach the local leaders of the Lucian Alliance. They left in the Teltac as agreed on, and now they just had to hope all worked out.

Sam's group would transport down later, at night-time, just outside the walls of the palace. Once - hopefully - inside the palace, they hoped Sam's memories from Jolinar would prove useful, since the palace had once belonged to her.

* * *

Teal'c, Vala, and Mitchell had arrived on the planet, landing just outside the city that surrounded the palace.

They were bringing a number of gifts for the local leaders of the Lucian Alliance, hoping this would make them more receptive to negotiation, and allow Teal'c and the others to stay long enough for Sam's group to have time to search the palace.

Following Vala's advice, they first went into the city and hired some entertainers - musicians and female dancers, that would perform during the evening and hopefully keep their hosts occupied.

"All right, remember, I'm in charge!" Vala said.

"No you're _not_!" Mitchell told her.

"Of course I am! I'm the one they know, remember?"

"Yes, and you have joined our group and _suggested_ these people here as our trading partners!" Mitchell insisted. "No deviating from the plan!"

"All right, but don't blame _me_ if they don't trust you!" Vala walked ahead towards the palace entrance, and the others hurried after her.

Guards stopped them at the entrance, and they handed over the gifts they had brought, asking to be allowed to meet with the local leaders.

The guards took Teal'c and the others to a waiting room, and told them to stay there while their masters were appraised. After a while they were taken to meet with the local leader - or rather, be interrogated.

* * *

"So, _Shaft_ , you and Vala and the Jaffa claim you have a very profitable future deal you want to make with the Lucian Alliance," the local leader, Refan, said.

"Yes, that is correct," Mitchell told him.

"Problem is, the only one of you I have heard of is Vala."

"And I can vouch for my friends here," Vala said, quickly.

"Sure, but you are a small time thief and trader. Why would you suddenly be involved in something important enough for the Lucian Alliance?"

"Would we have brought you such expensive gifts if we did not expect the prize to be worth it?" Teal'c asked.

"Very true," Refan admitted. "Those are worthy offerings. Perhaps, if you could give me some hint of what you are expecting to get out of this?"

"My colleagues and I are interested in trading a rare spice extracted from the kama-root," Vala said.

Refan shrugged dismissively. "We are already trading in kama-root. It is used for making a light aphrodisiac, as you know, and is very popular. That, coupled with the fact that it is, as you say, quite rare, means the price of it is high."

"We have access to a large source - a planet where it grows in abundance, and in good quality," Vala said.

"We'd offer you a sizeable cut of the profit. Sixty percent. I believe that is more than what you get now," Mitchell told him.

"It is, but why do you need us?" Refan wondered, suspiciously.

"We do not have a network suitable for selling it and so we need the Lucian Alliance for that," Vala explained.

Teal'c looked to Mitchell and Vala, then to Refan. "There is another matter. _Personal_."

"Ah, now we come to the _real_ reason!" Refan smiled. "What is it?"

"My sister was kidnapped by a Jaffa named To'kal. I have strong reason to believe he is hiding on this world, and if you would let us search for him so I can take my revenge and free my sister, we would be forever grateful," Teal'c told him.

" _How_ grateful?" Refan asked.

"Sixty-five percent?" Mitchell suggested.

Refan hesitated for a while, then nodded. "Very well. Dine with me tonight, then we can together enjoy the entertainment you have brought, and tomorrow we will discuss your business deal - _and_ the personal matter."


	6. Memories

"In order to help you remember, you should wear this." Malek handed Sam a memory recall device. "It has been enhanced somewhat and should be better able to help you focus on specific memories, compared to a normal recall device."

Sam looked at it with some trepidation, remembering the last time she had worn one - and used it to attempt to access Jolinar's memories. It had been on Netu, and she did not exactly have pleasant memories of the experience.

Realising the necessity - then as now - she sighed and put it on, hidden partly behind her ear and under her hair, also like it had been then. Malek adjusted it slightly before she joined the others.

It was early evening down on the planet, which meant it was time for them to transport down.

Malek wished them good luck, and gave the order. The 'Egeria' made as close an approach as they dared, and Sam, Daniel, and O'Neill were beamed down, not far outside the palace that had once belonged to Jolinar.

It was already fairly dark, making it unlikely anyone would detect their arrival.

They were lucky and no one was near the place where they transported down.

They left their backpacks and weapon behind, except for one zat'nik'tel each, and the Tok'ra communicators.

Meeting no one, they were soon standing beside the walls of the palace, looking around in the twilight.

Sam felt a very strong wave of familiarity, and for a moment she was caught up completely in the memories.

"Sam?" Daniel wondered, when she kept staring into nothingness.

She shook off the effects and felt a flush creep up her cheeks. It was a good thing it was as dark as it was!

"This place... where we're standing. It was a large square... I mean _huge_. Up there..." Sam pointed. "...are the ruins of the podium where I... eh, _Jolinar_ , I mean, were hailed as Lord of the planet, when I... _she_ had just taken over after her father. It was also the place where Jolinar was almost assassinated by one of her Jaffa..."

"She was a _Goa'uld_?" O'Neill did _not_ look happy.

"Once. Long ago. She changed allegiance very early. She befriended Egeria and they started the Tok'ra together." Sam frowned. "What did you think we meant by this once being her planet?"

"I thought maybe she was undercover or something. So, is _that_ why she went all Goa'uld and took you, Carter? A little convenient regression to old times?" O'Neill asked, sarcastically.

"Jolinar's change to the way of the Tok'ra was very real. She always regretted her past, despite it not being something she could help," Sam sounded a bit angry... _protective_ of her former symbiote.

"When was that? I mean, her ascension to power. It must have been a _long_ time ago," Daniel said, looking at the place.

"I'm not completely sure, actually. At least 2000 years ago, maybe a little more, even. Selmak was born in Egeria's first Tok'ra clutch, and she's about 2000 years old. I think Jolinar was..." Sam wrinkled her brow. "...around 100 years old when that happened. She helped finding hosts for many of the Tok'ra."

"Weren't Selmak supposed to be the oldest and wisest, or something?" Daniel said.

"I think Jolinar spent some time in a stasis jar, making her _effectively_ younger than Selmak - though I'm not sure. Besides, by the time Selmak called herself the oldest and wisest, Jolinar was dead." Sam suddenly smiled, a little wryly. "Also, I doubt anyone would have called Jolinar the _wisest_... she was more than a little impulsive and had a tendency to rush in where angels fear to tread. She was also fiercely loyal to her friends and to her ideals. I actually think you'd have liked her, General."

"Okay. Enough of this. Do we have _any_ idea where this queen is supposed to be hidden?" O'Neill said.

"Probably in the palace, since that would have been the place where any Goa'uld would have stayed. There are also some Ancient ruins outside this city, but I doubt any Goa'uld would have hidden her there," Sam told them.

"How good _is_ this intelligence, anyway?" O'Neill asked.

"Well, the Goa'uld Tikna must believe it strongly enough that he'd make a deal with the Jaffa. He must be pretty sure of its validity," Daniel said.

"Or desperate." O'Neill sighed. "Never mind."

"Tikna has owned this planet for many centuries. He must not have found out about the queen until very recently," Sam observed.

"Boy he must hate that he didn't find out before the Lucian Alliance moved in!" Daniel said, grinning a little.

"He probably does." Sam smiled.

"So, do we know _when_ the snake was hidden?" O'Neill asked. "Recently?"

"No, most probably during the period where either Zipacna or Apophis reigned here. I _think_ I'd have remembered it, if Jolinar knew about it - and she _would_ have known, if it had happened during or before her time here. She was the planets absolute ruler. _No_ other Goa'uld would come there to hide a queen - they would _never_ do that on a planet belonging to another Goa'uld."

"Okay." O'Neill checked the time. "Teal'c and the others should have had time to talk to the local leaders by now. If they've done their job, the local Lucian Alliance representatives should be occupied by their newest, prominent guests. Let's try to find a way in and search the palace. _Quietly_."

"The Jaffa working for Tikna are probably either already here, or they soon will be. We should avoid meeting them if at all possible. The same is true for the members of the Lucian Alliance, of course. We shouldn't forget this is their headquarters for the entire area," Sam said.

"Yeah, it sucks they had to put it on _this_ planet!" O'Neill grumbled.

"Well, let's hope the gifts Teal'c and the others, together with their cover story, is enough to convince the Lucian Alliance they have legitimate reasons for being here," Sam said.

"Yes, and that Malek is right and the local members of the Lucian Alliance hasn't met Teal'c or Mitchell - or any of us - but I guess we can't ever be sure no one we meet here has," Daniel reminded them.

Sam nodded. "They - or we - may be recognized."

O'Neill grimaced. "Let's not think of that now."

* * *

Sam and her group had received a communication that Teal'c and the others had convinced the local Lucian Alliance to let them stay as guests for the time being. Vala would try to sneak off and open a backdoor to the palace, letting the others in, as they had found all the entrances to be locked or guarded.

Daniel, Sam, and O'Neill were hiding in some bushes in a little trafficked part of the backyard of the palace, when they finally heard Vala call for them in a low voice. She had gotten a door open for them.

"Took you a sweet time," O'Neill complained.

"Sorry. I couldn't just walk off in the middle of dinner! I really couldn't get away until now, but I told them I needed to freshen up! The entertainment has just started. The dancers seem... _talented_ and there's a lot of alcohol, so I'd gather Refan and his men will be occupied for the next several hours." Vala rolled her eyes. "They're behaving uncomfortably much like the Goa'uld."

"Well, good work." Daniel smiled, comforting.

"Thanks." She smiled. "I had better get back before they get suspicious."

"We'll be gone before you know we were here," Sam promised.

Vala hurried off, leaving them to find their way around.

* * *

As they moved through the palace, Sam experienced repeated memory flashes. She kept seeing it as it had been when Jolinar had lived there.

The palace itself was actually mostly the same. Goa'uld certainly built things to last, but the interior had been changed in many places.

"Why did the fools take down my fathers crest?" Sam suddenly said, irritated, as she looked at the wall opposite from where they were standing. "They shall regret it..." She raised her left hand, as if she was wearing a hand device and looked about the place, searching for someone to punish.

"Uh, Sam?" Daniel asked, nervously.

"Sorry." Sam shook her head and lowered her hand, staring at it. She gave him an embarrassed smile. "This is just so confusing, you know? For a moment, I was back - to when Jolinar lived here. When she was a System Lord. I _felt_ her anger that someone had removed her father's crest. It hung just there." Sam pointed.

"Quiet!" O'Neill said in a low voice. "Listen, I don't think you wearing that thing is a good idea! What if someone hears you when you're going all Jolinar on us?"

"I'll try to be more careful. It's useful remembering everything here, though I'll admit it's also a little disconcerting!"

O'Neill snorted. "A _little_ disconcerting! My ass!"

They continued searching through the palace, with Sam recognizing enough that she could find the way to all the places that could possibly be used as a hiding place.

They had a small scanner with them, which would detect the naquadah signature when it came within 10 feet of the stasis jar. However, there were many other things which sent out similar energy readings and they had to look at many things to confirm it was not what they were looking for.

Sam had several more memory flashes, some at very inconvenient times, and they had a few near run-ins with servants. However, all thankfully went well. Eventually, they had looked through all possible hiding places. It had gone surprisingly much faster than expected, because of the memories Sam carried from Jolinar.

"It's not here," Sam concluded, unhappy.

"I agree. Any other ideas?" Daniel said.

Sam thought for a while. "Perhaps that place with the Ancient ruins..."

They slipped out, sending a signal to Teal'c and the others that they had safely left. It turned out it was none too soon, as the party was almost over and many more people would be walking around in the palace - or to their rooms, as it was getting quite late.

After reporting to Malek they had found nothing, Sam and the others made their way back to the place they had beamed down and picked up their gear. It would be too dangerous for Malek to take the ship in and beam them up for the night, then down again tomorrow, as each time increased the risk of being discovered. They would have to stay on the planet until they had finished their search - hopefully with success.

By the time they had picked up their gear, Mitchell contacted them to inform that the party was over and they were back in their rooms. After O'Neill had informed him nothing had been found, they agreed that Mitchell's group should stay at the palace for now, making sure the Lucian Alliance was kept occupied, as well as keeping an eye on them.


	7. Danger - and a Choice

A few hours after Sam and the others had set up camp near the ruins - an area of little interest to the inhabitants of the planet as well as to the Lucian Alliance - they were contacted by communicator by Vala. She reported that the Jaffa working for Tikna had now arrived and were attacking the palace.

She and her group had decided it was too dangerous to stay, and had escaped to their Teltac. They would be leaving the planet soon. The Jaffa were a very large group and they were taking the direct route. The local leader, Refan, had told them he would _not_ allow them to search the palace. They had killed him immediately and now fought the rest of the people from the Lucian Alliance. It would probably not be long before the survivors were forced to make a deal with the Jaffa.

"How long do you think it'll take them to search the place?" Daniel wondered when Vala had ended the communication.

"Depends. It's doubtful they have as good a scanner as we have, so they'll probably have to search the palace manually. They also do not know the place. However, if they are as many as Vala thinks, then it won't take them long," Sam answered, thoughtfully.

"Question is, will they be coming _here_ next?" O'Neill said.

Sam considered it. "They may. It's not the first place they'll look after they finish in the palace, since they don't know the planet, but they'll soon realize there are few other places that makes sense as a hiding place. The caves and mountains are not stable enough. A landslide following heavy rain - which is common in many places around here - would endanger the stasis jar. It _has_ to be in a safe place, and the palace and the ruins are in some of the only really stable areas."

"Okay. How long, then?" O'Neill demanded.

"I'd say a day, at most," Sam told him.

"Then we start at dawn - and I guess you better leave that damn thing on." He pointed to the memory recall device. "You mentioned Jolinar had searched the ruins - we'll need any help we can get. If you can deduce the most likely places from her memories, then I'll take that."

* * *

The next day they began searching through the ruins. The field was extensive, and they quickly realised it would easily take them a week to go through, even under the best of circumstances.

"Carter - any idea where to look? Because otherwise we won't have a chance in Hell of finding the snake before the area is crawling with Jaffa," O'Neill said.

"Sorry, sir. Except for a vague feeling I may have been here before, nothing rings a bell."

"Okay. We'll have to do this the hard way, then. Daniel, Carter, any suggestions? Or do we just start from one end and work our way through - and hope we get lucky and find snakey in a jar before the other guys?"

"Perhaps over there?" Daniel pointed at some mostly-whole buildings near a group of trees.

"Why not." O'Neill shrugged and began walking, the others following.

* * *

They had searched for most of the day without finding anything. No one had disturbed them, or even passed by, except for a few of the local inhabitants. They had barely spared a glance at the people studying the ruins, used as they were to one leader or another ruling over them. To them there was little difference between Apophis, Zipacna - or the Lucian Alliance.

Now it was almost evening and the sun would be setting in a few hours.

Sam and the others had not found the stasis jar yet, nor did they even have an idea where it could be. It would soon be too dark to continue the search, and tomorrow, at the latest, the Jaffa would almost certainly show up.

They had been searching through a part of the ruins where the buildings were reasonably whole, passing over those completely in ruins, on the theory they would have been destroyed long before any Goa'uld had hid anything there.

"Wait, Sam's not with us!" Daniel suddenly observed.

O'Neill sighed and turned around, looking about for her. They soon spotted her some 80-90 feet away, behind a large group of bushes. She was slowly wandering further away.

"That damn recall device!" O'Neill exclaimed.

"Sam!" Daniel called, as they hurried towards her.

She slowly turned around and looked at them, a distant expression on her face. Slowly, her focus returned, as if from far away.

"Carter?" O'Neill asked.

"I have been here before..." She shook her head. "I mean, _Jolinar_ has been here before. I see her, with Egeria... and several other Tok'ra."

She walked towards some ruins that were almost completely overgrown.

"You're remembering something we can use?" O'Neill wondered.

"Yes..." Sam looked at the mixture of rubble and plants. "I believe there is a secret hiding place here, a place where Jolinar, Egeria, and a few other Tok'ra once hid."

"Wouldn't that place only have been known to them, though?" Daniel said, joining Sam in her search.

"Maybe someone found it? I don't remember if Jolinar and the others were detected."

O'Neill helped them search as well, and about an hour later, when the sun was just setting, Sam found the entrance. It was so well hidden that she would likely not have found it, had she not suddenly recognized the place.

She ran her scanner over it. "Remarkable! It is completely shielded - no energy signatures at all, despite the fact that I _know_ there's naquadah powered technology down there!"

"Doesn't that also guarantee no one else has found it?" O'Neill asked.

Sam nodded, looking defeated. "I suppose so, sir."

"Uh, guys?" Daniel said.

"What now?" O'Neill turned to see what it was Daniel was looking at. "Ah... _damn_!"

Sam looked up and saw them as well. " _Jaffa_!"

They crouched down behind the bushes.

"Yeah, and we have no where to go or hide!" O'Neill hit his communicator. "Malek? You had better be up there!"

"General, we cannot lower the shields to transport you up at the moment," Malek said. "We are under attack by four Ha'tak!"

"Ha'tak?! The Jaffa brought _that_ kind of firepower and no one told me?!" O'Neill complained. "Or did the Lucian Alliance send them?"

"The Lucian Alliance had sent one, which was quickly destroyed. Three of those in orbit belongs to the Jaffa, one of them to Tikna. He has told me in no uncertain terms what he thinks of me for flying a human ship and serving in their fleet... be that as it may, we had not expected this kind of resistance."

"You need to get us out of here!" O'Neill insisted.

"We are doing our best!"

They heard some shuffling and another voice came to the microphone. "This is Mitchell. General, he's right. We'll call you as soon as we can lower the shields."

O'Neill sighed. "It better be soon - or our asses will be toast!" He shut off the communicator. " _Damn_!"

The bushes they hid behind would not provide cover for much longer, and there were no other places to hide nearby, as the ruins in this area was mere rubble. The Jaffa were many, and there was no was they would miss finding Sam, Daniel, and O'Neill.

"We can hide down there," Sam said in a low voice and pointed at the entrance to the hide-out Jolinar and Egeria had used so long ago.

"And get trapped down there!" O'Neill sighed. "But I guess it's the only option. We'll just have to hope the Jaffa don't find the entrance, and then wait them out."

" _We_ wouldn't have noticed it if Sam hadn't remembered its presence and location," Daniel reminded him. "And maybe Malek can beam us out from down there?"

"I doubt that, due to the shielding," Sam said.

"Well we don't have a lot of other options. Come on, guys!"

Sam opened the door and they hurried down the stairs, the door beginning to close behind them. It did not close completely, though, as O'Neill noticed when the turned to look.

"Carter - the door!"

Sam gazed in horror at the small opening still visible. She ran back up the stairs. "It's stuck - on _something_." She crouched down to take a look.

She fiddled with it for a moment, then it slid the rest of the way closed. She ran down the stairs and joined the others.

"Good job. What was wrong?" O'Neill asked.

"A damn rock! It was stuck on a damn rock!" Sam exclaimed. "Worse, I think one of the Jaffa saw the door slide shut. We should hurry and see what we can find. I think maybe there's a back door somewhere."

"There _better_ be!" O'Neill said with empathy.

"Well, perhaps the Jaffa can't open the entrance?" Daniel suggested.

"They'll just blow it up, you _know_ that! Now _move it_!" He grabbed Daniel's arms and pushed him ahead to make him run, as they hurried deeper into the corridors.

They weaved through several tunnels, checking the few rooms they passed for anything useful.

"It's not constructed using Tok'ra crystals," Daniel observed, slightly out of breath.

"No, this place was built before that invention," Sam answered.

All rooms they had looked at had contained little except a bed, a table, a chair, and a few assorted items. It was obviously personal quarters.

"Where's that backdoor?" O'Neill demanded.

"Sorry, sir. I just don't remember. I also thought there should be some weapons down here," Sam said.

They continued searching, finally getting to a room Sam recognized as having been Jolinar's.

"Looks nothing special," O'Neill said, glancing around the small quarters. "And _she_ was a _System Lord_!"

" _Former_ System Lord! She was _Tok'ra_!" Sam pointed out, as she searched through the room. Suddenly, as if on a spur of the moment, she turned around and went to the wall on the left, just beside the bed.

She stared, as if transfixed, on a spot that to Daniel and O'Neill looked identical to the rest of the wall. Then she stretched out both hands and pressed two points simultaneously.

A low humming could be heard, and a crack appeared, then the door to a hidden cupboard swung open.

" _Neat_! What's in there?" O'Neill wondered.

"Some of my personal items." Sam blushed and for the umptenth time considered ripping out the memory recall device. "Some of _Jolinar's_ personal things were here, as well as some data crystals with important intel and other things."

She opened the small door completely and peered inside. She gasped.

"What is it?" Daniel stepped closer, trying to see over her shoulder.

"Um, it still just a few personal items. Some of them were just pretty important to Jolinar. She must have had to leave quickly, or she would have brought them with her."

Sam took out a small jewelry box, which she put on the bed, then took out a few other things. A small vase, a figurine, and a reading tablet. She then removed a box of data crystals from the cupboard and added it to the pile on the bed.

"So... just _stuff_? Old junk?" O'Neill shrugged.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that!" Daniel fingered the vase and the figurine. "These are _exquisite_!"

"And mine, so be nice to them," Sam said, a warning in her voice, as she reached into the cupboard again. She saw what looked like another compartment, something which was verified when she touched it and it opened.

" _Yours_!" O'Neill snorted. "I think it's time for you to take that memory recall thingie off! Not that you aren't welcome to the junk, of course." He rolled his eyes. "But if there isn't anything more useful in there, perhaps we should continue?"

"Whoa!" Sam carefully took something out and held it before her.

"A stasis jar!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Do you think that thing is, uh, _inhabited_?" O'Neill looked at it with some concern.

"I'm sure it is - it's sealed." Sam looked closely at it.

"You think that's the queen Tikna is after?" Daniel asked. "Do you remember?"

"Well, no idea. I'm _sure_ this stasis jar wasn't here when _Jolinar_ lived here," Sam insisted.

"I thought you said no one could find this place?" O'Neill said.

"I... didn't think they could. I _don't_ think so."

"Then... how?" Daniel asked.

Sam thought about it after carefully putting the stasis jar on the floor. "The only explanation must be that someone who was here with Jolinar went back later." She shrugged off her backpack and began putting Jolinar's things into it.

"Any idea who? Or _why_?" O'Neill asked, just as they heard a loud, but muted thump.

"Oh, no!" Sam said.

"Dammit! The Jaffa _did_ see the door close - and have given up on trying to open it, so they're trying to blow a hole. Any idea how long it will hold?" O'Neill asked.

They heard another explosion, sharper this time, and everything shook slightly. Some dirt drizzled to the floor.

"Not long!" Sam closed the backpack and threw it back on her shoulders before grabbing the stasis jar. "We'd better get out of here!"

" _How_!?" Daniel exclaimed.

I think I remember where the secret door is!" Sam began walking, then half-running as another explosion was heard.

The others followed quickly.

Sam entered a room at the far end of the corridor, put down the stasis jar, and started searching the opposite wall. " _Damn_ \- I _know_ it's supposed to be here!"

Daniel helped her search, while O'Neill took up a defensive position, realizing the Jaffa could enter the corridors at any time.

There was a huge explosion, and lots of rocks fell down all over the place.

"Now would be a good time to find that damn door, guys!" O'Neill called out, spotting the first of the Jaffa.

"Got it!" Sam said, happily. "Just need to get it opened!"

"Great!" O'Neill fired off a round towards the oncoming Jaffa. "Get a move on! I'm following you in a moment!" He shot at the Jaffa again.

Sam and Daniel fumbled with the door for a moment longer, but now when they knew where it was, it did not take long before they got it opened.

"Open!" Sam exclaimed.

"Okay... coming!" O'Neill pressed down on the trigger of his P90 and held it for a few moments, making the Jaffa jump into some of the rooms. They were getting uncomfortably close.

He ran down the secret tunnel, after Sam and Daniel, with the Jaffa hot on his heels.

It was a long, dimly lit tunnel, with a few turns. O'Neill stopped now and then and fired off several shots at the Jaffa, who each time withdrew around a corner.

Eventually, they reached the end. Sam and Daniel had found the exit, and had managed to get it opened just as the Jaffa rounded the last corner and started firing. Sam, Daniel, and O'Neill tumbled out, a staff blast singing Sam's shoulder.

She cried out and dropped the stasis jar, just as O'Neill shut the door to the tunnels after them.

"Oh, no!" Sam exclaimed, wincing from the pain in her shoulder. "The jar's seal broke!"

"So what! At least neither the Jaffa nor Tikna will get the snake if she's dead - we don't even need to worry if it's a queen or not!" O'Neill said.

"What if she's Tok'ra? She almost _has_ to be! No one else knew about that place. Egeria could have come back and..." Sam said.

"Listen, I don't _care_ who or what it is! We need to go. _Now_!" O'Neill ordered.

Sam closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, having made her decision. Before Daniel or O'Neill could stop her, Sam had taken off the lid of the stasis jar and poured out some of the soporific liquid. Moments later the head of a symbiote appeared, looking somehow groggy.

"I... _volunteer_ ," Sam said, swallowing her fear, wincing again from the pain in her shoulder as she lifted the jar to her open mouth.

" _No_! Are you _crazy_?!" O'Neill lounged for her, wanting to pull the jar away from her, but he did not reach it before the symbiote had launched herself into Sam's mouth.

She fell back, the long body of the queen symbiote quickly disappearing into her. Moments later, Sam's eyes flashed.

" _Shit_!" O'Neill exclaimed. " _That's_ taking me back!"

"Um... that door's not gonna hold..." Daniel pointed at the exit they had just closed behind them. It made a creaking noise.

"Okay, let's get out of here. We'll solve the Goa'uld-problem _later_!" O'Neill said.

He grabbed one of Sam's arms and Daniel took hold of the other, and they began to run, half-dragging the still dazed Sam between them.

They ran to the nearest group of trees, and jumped behind them just as the door from the tunnels was blasted open and the Jaffa spilled out. The first of them spotted the open jar, lying on the floor. As luck would have it, as a result of the explosion, rocks from beside the doorway had fallen on top of it, smashing it and hiding part of it.

The Jaffa kicked at the shards and saw the wetness from the soporific liquid that had been in the stasis jar. "The ha'shaks found the queen and she has been crushed through their stupidity and clumsiness!" he reported.

"They shall _pay_ for this outrage!" the Jaffa leader cried. "Find them and bring them to me!"


	8. Success

I had neither been a long search, nor a long fight, though O'Neill did manage to shoot two Jaffa before they were captured. Daniel and O'Neill had taken Sam's weapon from her, and Daniel had been guarding her, so there was no one else but O'Neill to defend them against the Jaffa.

Now they had been taken to the small Jaffa camp that had been erected at the outskirts of the field with the ruins, and dragged before the local Jaffa leader.

" _You_ caused the death of what was quite possibly the _last_ Goa'uld queen in existence! Do you _realize_ what you have done? You have condemned all true Jaffa to death!" the Jaffa commander screamed at them.

O'Neill threw a look at Sam - or whomever was in control. Fortunately, the symbiote seemed to realize it would not be to her advantage to give away her presence. No doubt she had _taken_ the knowledge from Sam and knew what kind of life she risked leading if the Jaffa got their hands on her.

O'Neill made a face at the thought of his friend and former teammate being subjected to the Goa'uld queen's whims and mindrapes.

"Have you 'true' Jaffa considered a little something called 'tretonin' that we're offering?" he asked.

"Jaffa on tretonin!" the Jaffa leader spat the words, "they are no longer real Jaffa. They have lost their soul. They are _weak_. To be weak is to be dead, for a Jaffa!"

"Suit yourself, then." O'Neill shrugged. "If you really _want_ to be dependent on the Goa'uld to the point you would rather die than be free of them, then that's _your_ choice, I guess."

"What will you do when the false god Tikna learns of your failure? I am _glad_ I am not one of you!" Sam suddenly said - though O'Neill and Daniel both strongly suspected it was the Goa'uld. They could not imagine what her plan could be, though.

"Blasphemy! He may not be an _actual_ god, but compared to human scum like you, he _is_!" He hit her hard over the shoulder, striking her directly on the half-healed staff wound.

Sam - or maybe the Goa'uld - winced and cried out, stumbling to the ground. She looked at the Jaffa with surprise mixed with some pain on her face. It was obvious she had expected a different response, but whether she had expected him to agree Tikna was a false god, or strongly deny it was unclear.

The other Jaffa also seemed more than a bit taken aback by their leaders less than clear rejection of the Goa'uld's divinity.

He did not seem to notice, though. "Guard them while I contact Tikna!" he ordered.

Two of the Jaffa had just grabbed hold of Sam/symbiote and pulled her to her feet, when she, Daniel, and O'Neill were enveloped by the beams of a transporter. The two Jaffa were transported as well.

"Relieve the Jaffa of their weapons and take them to a holding cell," Malek ordered, as soon as he saw them. He hit the button on the intercom beside him. "Our people are onboard! Raise shields! Attempt to disengage from the battle!" He turned back to O'Neill and the others.

"Malek - Carter is a host," O'Neill said, quickly.

"Yes, I sense that. Guards, take her as well," Malek ordered.

The ship shuddered under a hit from the enemies weapons, but it was clear the shields absorbed most of the energy.

A couple of the guards approached the Jaffa, while another raised his weapon and trained it on Sam.

The two Jaffa just gaped at it all - the ship, Malek in a Tau'ri uniform, but obviously a Goa'uld. Or so they thought.

"S... Sorry, my Lord!" one of the Jaffa suddenly exclaimed, having decided Malek must be a very powerful god, since he had the power to transport them to his ship without using a ring transporter, but only a beam of light.

Malek's eyes flashed in annoyance. "You will cease to refer to me as 'Lord'. I am _not_ a god!"

He turned his back to the Jaffa who were dragged away. The ship shook again, as it was hit by weapon's fire.

"Well, it was great you finally got your asses together and beamed us out of there! It was getting a _little_ hot!"

Malek cast him an amused look. "You are most welcome!" He got a worried expression. "What about Samantha?"

Sam - or the Goa'uld - had allowed herself to be escorted out by the guards, apparently aware that now was not the time to argue. It was better to wait until they were sure the ship had escaped the enemy safely.

"The jar broke during a fight with the Jaffa," Daniel began.

"Understood. I am needed on the bridge. If you follow me, I would be grateful to you for relating to me what has transpired," Malek said.

"Sure." O'Neill shrugged.

Malek left for the bridge, with Daniel and O'Neill following him. They gave a quick summary of the events down on the planet while they walked.

* * *

"Report," Malek ordered, as he stepped onto the bridge.

"It is going reasonably well. We have disabled one Ha'tak, and only taken light damage. We are currently attempting to withdraw from the battle," Teal'c told them.

"Shouldn't a ship like this be able to do more damage than _that_?" O'Neill wondered.

"Their Ha'taks are a bit tougher than ours, sir. I mean, the ones in the other timeline, what we're used to," Mitchell said as he approached them. "Apparently they've been upgraded with better shields and weapons - among other things. Some of the guys from the Trust sold Asgard tech to the Jaffa at some point, and, well..."

"I get it..." O'Neill sighed. "Everyone has it now."

"Right." Mitchell nodded.

"Commander, we've lost them," a young woman reported.

"Well done." Malek now turned his attention to O'Neill and Daniel again. "You said you found a symbiote in a stasis jar in an underground complex? I assume it is the one who took Samantha as host?"

"It's the one that's in Sam, yeah," O'Neill said.

"Was there any kind of markings on the jar? Text?" Malek wondered.

"Well." Daniel looked somewhat embarrassed. "I didn't think to check if there was any markings on it - and it broke, so we left it there."

Malek nodded. "Do you believe it was the queen Tikna was looking for? Also, the complex you found the jar in, it was hidden under Ancient ruins?"

"No idea if it was a queen. Maybe. It was pretty big, if that means anything. Oh, and yeah, the underground complex was underneath some of the Ancient ruins, but I'm very sure _it_ wasn't Ancient. It was constructed much later," Daniel said. "I'm sure of that... actually, Sam thought it had been made by the Tok'ra."

"I see." Malek frowned. "Queens are longer, but some ordinary symbiotes can be quite large, so to be sure it was a queen, it would have to be very long. Did it have any ki'hke..." he hesitated. "I am not sure what your word is... it is a kind of fleshy... tentacles, I suppose. There are three on each side of the head. The queens originally used them to lure prey to them during the spawning cycles, since they could not move much in the water at those times."

"Thanks for _that_ image!" O'Neill exclaimed.

"Uh, we, we didn't see the symbiote clearly enough. Can't you just check? Somehow?" Daniel said.

"We can, but until then we should assume it is a queen." Malek sighed. "I believe your expression is... 'better safe than sorry'. I shall make sure a Tok'ra is among her guards, as she will soon have produced enough shri'tah'ista to ensnare any human males."

"Ah, damn! I completely forgot about that crap!" O'Neill gave Daniel a sideways glance.

Daniel groaned. "Please don't remind me!"

* * *

O'Neill, Daniel, Teal'c, Vala, and Mitchell followed Malek into the sickbay. With the ship having safely escaped the battle, it was time to focus on Sam and the symbiote she had become host to down on the planet.

"Have you examined the symbiote in Samantha and determined if it is a queen or not?" Malek asked.

"More importantly, when are you getting it out of her?" O'Neill demanded.

"Malek!" an agitated Tok'ra healer exclaimed as he entered from a side-room.

"Yes, what is it, Sawosh?"

"The symbiote is a queen!" Sawosh told them.

"Yes, we _know_." O'Neill rolled his eyes.

"Or expected, at least," Daniel added quickly.

"She is not just a queen, she is _Tok'ra_!" Sawosh smiled at Malek. "She is Egeria's daughter!"

Malek was speechless for a moment, before recovering enough to ask, "You are certain?"

"Yes. We have compared her code of life." He turned to O'Neill and the others from Stargate Command. "Her DNA, as you call it. She was spawned by Egeria."

"That is wonderful!" Malek smiled. "We are no longer a dying people!"

"That's... that's great..." Daniel said.

"Nice for you. When are you getting her out of Carter?" O'Neill asked.

"We are not! She is Tok'ra!" Malek told them, starting to get angry. "Did you not tell me Samantha _volunteered_?"

"Yes, but..." Daniel began.

"Since she volunteered, and the symbiote has been found to be Tok'ra, then you cannot seriously wish the symbiote be removed?" Malek looked at them, his anger changing to disbelief. "How different _is_ that other timeline? Did you not state that we are allies there as well?"

"We are," Teal'c told him.

"It's just... our relationship isn't as good... _wasn't_ as good, as it clearly is here," Daniel said.

"Obviously!" O'Neill snorted. "Carter only did it to save the snake. Aren't you even going to ask her if she _wants_ to remain a host?"

"Of course they are, sir," Sam said as she entered the room. "I have thought about it, and talked with Eir - that is the name of my symbiote. I have agreed to remain her host."

"Thank you, Samantha." Malek smiled at her. "May we talk to Eir?"

Sam nodded, then bowed her head. A moment later, Eir looked up, in control of their shared body.

"Hello. I am Eir," she said. She looked at the others around her. "General O'Neill, Daniel, Teal'c..." She looked to the other side. "Vala and Cam. You are all Samantha's friends. Do not fear. That will not change. It is my hope that in time, you will become my friends as well."

"It is an honour to meet you." Teal'c bowed his head respectfully.

Eir smiled at him and bowed her head to him in return. "You as well, Teal'c."

"Eir, my queen. We are all honoured to have you among us." Malek started to kneel down before her.

"Please do not kneel. I do not deserve it. All Tok'ra are equal."

Malek rose, and nodded slowly. "You will be the salvation of the Tok'ra."

"Well, in that case I guess there's reason to celebrate. Don't you have some cake? Let's go to the mess hall!" O'Neill raised an eyebrow, grinning at the incongruous look Daniel had. " _What_? I'm _hungry_!"

"You are quite right. It is _indeed_ cause for celebration." Malek grinned. "I am sure the cook can find us some cake! He is a _very_ good baker. I personally convinced him to join my crew. Garshaw may never forgive me for taking him from her base!"

"Sounds good. Lead the way!" O'Neill said.

Malek bowed his head in acquiescence. "This way."

"Cake is always good!" Vala smiled at the others and walked ahead, following O'Neill and Malek.

Eir looked after them, amused, then to her host's other friends. "I suppose it is a good idea. My host is hungry as well." She dipped her head, giving Sam control.

Daniel shrugged. "I guess we all are."

"Works for me. It's as good a way as any to get acquainted," Mitchell said. "And get a bit more up to speed on this timeline."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed as they walked after the others to the mess hall. "I expect we will need a lot of cake."


End file.
